__________________The universe is the practical joke of the General at the expense of the Particular, quoth Frater Perdurabo, and laughed. The disciples nearest him wept, seeing the Universal Sorrow. Others laughed, seeing the Universal Joke. Others wept. Others laughed. Others wept because they couldn't see the Joke, and others laughed lest they should be thought not to see the Joke. But though FRATER laughed openly, he wept secretly; and really he neither laughed nor wept. Nor did he mean what he said.

What about bringing up the Birmingham Barons and sending down this moribund bunch. Being 24 over at AA or whatever , could they any worse? If there is going to be 100 losses it might as well be entertaining.

A guy dogs it to first base costing the White Sox a run and a lead, and White Sox fans are up in arms said player gets benched. They want accountability, until someone is held accountable, then whoever is holding them accountable is an idiot.

Ventura confirms that Rios was pulled for not running out the double play ball in the fifth.

Some time back, Viciedo was kept out of game 2 of a doubleheader for dogging it in game 1. I know this doesn't satisfy those of you who want immediate public humiliations for all blunders, but anger isn't the best management style 100% of the time.

Making a mistake is one issue. Lack of effort, though, is an entirely different issue.

Right. It wasn't a baserunning blunder. It wasn't just lack of hustle. It was not runnng out a ball in a situation where if he had put forth normal effort, the Whtie Sox woudl have taken the lead. It was a point in the game when Rios should have had ample motivation to run out the ground ball. The play may have cost the Sox the game.

It's that sort of approach that kept Rios' trade value down when the White Sox picked up Rios from the Blue Jays. Teams scouting him Friday night would have been unimpressed with Rios before Ventura pulled him.

That would definitely guarantee us the #1 overall pick. I'm hoping that we don't screw this pick up because it will be a nice high one the way we're going. We have drafted enough guys lately who don't have the best hitting prospects. Better than the low ceiling pitchers we took, but I am hoping we'll get some better hitters.